How to Hew a New Stone

Lay the stone on a flat, sturdy surface with the side you want to work facing up.

Put on work gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask. The dust from hewing stone gets into the air and causes injury if inhaled or into the eyes.

Set the flat end of a chisel against the outer edge of the stone. You can set the chisel at a 90- or 45-degree angle, depending on the look you want to create. The former creates small divots and holes in the stone, while the latter creates longer, shallow cuts in the stone.

Hit the top of the chisel lightly with a hammer. Don't hit too hard at first, as the stone may crack open. Softer stones such as sandstone require a lighter touch, but you will need to hit harder stones such as granite with a large amount of force. Test it first with light strikes and increase as needed.

Move along the stone in a horizontal line, striking as you go. When you've reached the opposite side, set the chisel below the first row of strikes and create another row of strikes. Experiment with the angle and position of strikes until you find a look that appeals.

Place a right-angle ruler against the stone periodically to keep the surface relatively level. If one area is noticeably higher than the rest of the surface, mark it in ink using the ruler as a guide. Put the ruler away and hew that area until the ink is all gone. Check again with the ruler.

Continue striking away at the face of the stone until it's covered with chisel marks and you've removed as much stone as you want. To make the stone smaller, continue striking away until it reaches the appropriate size.